Pentagon to keep National Guard presence at Capitol through May 23

WASHINGTON - Pentagon has decided to keep nearly 2,300 National Guard members at the US Capitol through May 23, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday evening.

"This decision was made after a thorough review of the request and after close consideration of its potential impact on readiness," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement.

"It's not just about a threat assessment. It's about assisting and supporting capabilities that the Capitol Police may now lack and may need to look at improving on their own," Kirby told reporters.

During the extension, the Department of Defense will "work with the US Capitol Police to incrementally reduce the National Guard footprint as conditions allow," he added.

Currently, there are 5,100 National Guardsmen stationed at the Capitol. Their deployment was supposed to end this week.

Thousands of National Guard members from around the country poured into Washington, D.C., shortly after the deadly Capitol riot on Jan 6 by supporters of former President Donald Trump, reaching a height of 26,000 troops.